“A good man” – Phanar’s Exarch explains his wish to stand surety for Chernyshov

Bishop Michael of Comana (right). Photo: LB

The Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bishop Michael of Comana (Anishchenko), told the controversial journalist Koshkina why he arrived at the High Anti-Corruption Court with an initiative to stand surety for former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, who is accused of large-scale corruption.

According to the bishop, Chernyshov’s aides asked him for help. He said that he “has no personal interest in this case and is outside the political context.”

The exarch also added that he crossed paths with Chernyshov when the latter served as minister, and that he “knows him as a good man.” The bishop insists that his visit to the HACC was his personal initiative and that the Ecumenical Patriarchate knows nothing about it.

Investigators, meanwhile, say that Chernyshov was involved in laundering corrupt funds. Detectives documented the transfer to him and his trusted associate of more than 1.2 million dollars and nearly 100,000 euros in cash. Chernyshov is known to be Zelensky’s "kum" (godfather of his children – Ed.).

The court did not take the bishop’s statement into account and placed Chernyshov in custody with bail set at 51.6 million hryvnias.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Phanar’s exarch had expressed a desire to stand surety for the former deputy prime minister accused of corruption.

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